In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Martin and Judy King examined the damage left by the large uprooted tree in their front yard that had fallen squarely onto the roof of their Arlington home. They also had water coming in through the front of their house. “I don’t recall anything this severe” in the 41 years they have lived there, said Martin, attributing the tree falling to soil saturated from a summer of storms. But Judy quickly disagreed. “It didn’t seem to me so severe until the tree fell down.”

Now the Kings said they are thinking about having people over to their damaged home to help them eat their stockpiles of food.